So the president's claim that 30 million Americans "cannot get coverage" is, not to say more, inaccurate. So, too, was his statement, uncivil accusation really, that opponents of health care reform have "lied" about his plan providing coverage for illegals. The supposed bar on illegals receiving health coverage only applies to a section of the bill. And Democrats rejected a Republican proposal that would have required verification of eligibility. Ditto for the claim that the Obama plan would not cover abortion expenses. It would not explicitly do so. But money is fungible and it would be impossible to prevent public funds from subsidizing abortions. Again, Republican amendments to prevent taxpayer money from paying for abortions failed. That's revealing.
And then there was this: "Reducing the waste and inefficiency in Medicare and Medicaid will pay for most of this plan." I didn't think until now that President Obama had much of a sense of humor. Perhaps I was wrong. He also claimed that his plan will 1) extend coverage to all; 2) force insurance companies to cover "at no extra charge" routine checkups and screening tests like mammograms and colonoscopies; 3) place limits on how much people can be charged for out-of-pocket expenses; 4) forbid yearly or lifetime caps on coverage -- and spend less than we are currently spending! He's not a president; he's a wizard.
But no, the funniest part of the speech was Obama's supposed overture to Republicans on malpractice reform. He is directing the secretary of HHS, he grandly offered, to pursue local "demonstration projects" in tort reform. But states like Texas have already proved the effectiveness of, for example, caps on pain and suffering damages. In any case the idea that some piddly demonstration project that would take several years to complete should be offered as a sop to Republicans while Democrats go about the business of revamping the entire health delivery system today is pretty much of a joke.
The rationale for the speech -- that lies, distortions, and misunderstandings account for public opposition to a health care overhaul -- was misconceived. This administration -- anodyne phrases about bipartisanship notwithstanding -- does not see beyond its narrow ideological keyhole. That weakness may prove crippling.